Page 4 of Rugged

I couldn’t even get a date with the security desk guy downstairs, and she bagged a sultan? And where the hellwas Arunai? Was she making it up? Had the guy lied to her about being a sultan? How did someone even become a sultan? Did she mean Aruba?

God, I was thinking all of the possible dangers, Lyssa was like,cool. Let’s do it. I don’t care if you’re lying, you fuck well, and I want a free trip.

“What?” I asked. “Ibiza?”

“I know!” she laughed. “Crazy, right?”

Yes, batshit crazy.

“When were you going to tell me this?” I asked.

“Emma!” Stan yelled.“Are youstillon the phone?”

“That’s why I called,” Lyssa said.

I shook my head, losing my shit over two different people talking to me.

“To tell you the crazy story,” she continued. “You see, he was in Montana to check out a prize bull he sponsored, and we bumped into each other at the only restaurant in town.”

“Emma!” Stan’s voice was louder this time.

“We hooked up, and…well, now he’s flying me to Europe on his private jet!” My sister’s laugh did not begin to convey how actually incredible and bizarre her story was. But that was because this was a normal kind of occurrence in her life. She hooked up with a guy she met in a restaurant. Then, on a whim, went flying to Europe with him.

I was going to go to the break room and get morecoffee. Maybe stir in some of that hazelnut creamer.Thatwas my excitement.

My sister was literally the luckiest, flightiest, wildest human on Earth. She didn’t try hard at anything. It was all just handed to her on a silver platter.

Whohappenedto run into theSultan of Arunaiat a restaurant inMONTANAand hooked up with him?

Only Lyssa.

And all I’d done in my life was play it safe, and look where I was. In my cave with an annoying boss pestering me close to midnight.

“Emma!” Stan was back at my office door. “Hang up the phone and finish the goddamn effect. We areall waiting on you.”

I looked up and stared at my boss. I hated him. Hated my job. Hated my life. Look where playing it safe had gotten me.

Absolutely nowhere.

“You know what, Stan?” I stood up from my rolling chair, which had broken a year ago, and I couldn’t get replaced. “Go fuck yourself.”

His eyes widened because I’d never spoken to him like that before. Or anyone else, for that matter. “Oh, that’s nice. Real nice.” Stan’s stubbly face turned red.

Lyssa cheered in my ear. “That’s right, girl. You tell him. Now walk out of there.”

“I have been here for fourteen hours already, andthat was after working until 1:00 a.m. last night. All I wanted to do was hear my sister’s voice while I worked on the background imagery before she left the country, and you’re over here riding my ass.”

Wow. I never even really cursed.

This feltgood.

I threw open the drawer to my desk and pulled out my purse. “So you know what?” I started throwing my things scattered around my desk into my purse. After eight years, there wasn’t much, which was really sad.

“No.” There was alarm in Stan’s voice. “You can’t leave. Not before it’s done.”

Under normal circumstances, I would feel bad for him. His problem would be my problem, and I’d solve it for him, and he’d get the credit. That was how I rolled. I was the conscientious, responsible employee. The safe sister. But fuck this. I didn’t have a sultan fucking me and taking me to Europe, but I didn’t have to be fucked over by my boss and getting nowhere.

“I’m done.”

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